Railroad-spike.



zyazz'mmsm PATENTED JULY 25, 1905.

B. P. nmnnon. RAILROAD SPIKE. APPLIOATIGE IILBD 10V. 11, 1901- jaZ/Mdaed: wiyfimuw g UYITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BEVERLY P. i-IERNI')ON, OF FLORENCE, ARIZOXA TERRITORY.

RAILROAD-SPIKE,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 11 1901. Serial No. 81.831.

Patented July 25, 1905.

useful Improvement in Railroad-Spikes,-ol' I which the followin is a specification.

My invention reliites to a new and useful imprnveim-niin railroad-spikes, and has for its object to provide a spike which is curved upon two sides at the point, which will allow the spike to be driven with less strokes of the hammer, and will not fracture the wood to such an extent as the ordinary spike does.

Another object of my invention is to provide a bend upon the spike, by which the blow of the hammer in driving the spike will be so distributed us not to be liable to break off the head of the spike when the sume comes in contact with the base of the rail.

With these ends in view this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then specifically designnted by the claim.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same, the construction and operation will'now be described in detail, reierring to the accompanying drawings ferining a part of this specification, in which Figure l'is a side elevation of in spike Fig. 2, a fron t. elevation of the same; ig. 3, a plan view; Fi 4, an end view.

In carrying out my invention as here embodied, A represents the body of the spike, which is S( uare in cross-section. The end pf the spike is beveled upon the front and rear sides, so as to point the spike, as represented at B. The. front and rear sides of the spike at the lower end are also grooved outward, iLS ind icatcd at C. The groove starting at the chisel-point of the spike and extending outward to the front and rear side of the. spike and merging into the plain surface, the termination of the. grooves ill be a considerable distance nbove the beginning of the beveled point. This will give to the spike in the center a long gradually-widened poiutzbut upon eucl side of the groove the spike will run down straight to the begin'ningof the bevel.

The head of the spike is formed with the usua projection l), which extends outward from t in front side of the spike and isudziptci tube over the base of the rail and hold the same in place who? the spike driven in the 'tie. Upon the upper side of the head is i funded the tapering protrusion C, which isformed in the shape of a truncated cone. This protrusion C is for the purpose of receiving the blows of. the hiimmer in driving the spike and is located directly over the shank of the spike, and thus the blows of the hunnner are communicate to the spike in a straight vertical line to the point, and the extension I) does not relive any of the blows broken off when coming in contact with the base of the fall.

The advantages of my invention are that by forming the point with the grooves C formed in the front and rear sides it allows the siike to enter the wood quickly, and thereiore one top of the hammer is suilicient to cause the spike to stand upright in the wood, and on account of the comparatively long point the fibers of the wood pill be cut by said point and allow the spike to enter with less strokes of the hainmcr'tha'n with the ordinary s )ike now used, and by cutting the fiber of the wood instead of tearing it apart the wood is not fractured to such'an extent as with the ordinary spike, and there b holds the spike more securely in place and The spike is not weakened upon the end, he-

groove in a straight line to the bevel-point, thus in reality forming a. cutting-rib u on each side of the groove, which will strrngt ien the point and prevent the same from bending or being broken off in driving, at the same by forming a protrusion upon the upper end of the spike directly hbove the shank the blow of the hammer is communicated directly in a vertical line above the slmnk,

more umzuratel and with less strokes than with the ordinary spike, and by preventing the hammer from coming in contact with the extension I) the head is not liable to behroken when coming in contact with the base of the rail.

Of course do not wish to belimited to the exact construction here shown, as slight modifications could be mad without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what l. claim as new and useful is A spike hrving a shank substantially recwhatsoever, and therefore is not liable to be ways furnishing an elongated chisel-point.

cause the spike extends down each side of the time, cutting its way into the wood. Another advantage of my improvementis that which will allow the spike to be driven much tangular in cross-section which is provided at its extremity with a straight chisel edge located in the longitudinal median or central line of the spike and on each of its opposite sides having a pair of longitudinal] -extending edge flanges constituting straig t continuations of the spike-shank to points midwa of their length and thence regularly and similarly tapering or convergin direct. to the straight chisel edge aforesaid into which they merge, said spike-shank being prcvided between the respective sets of edge flanges with transversely and longitudinally curving cencavities which are defined by said edge flanges and begin in straight transverse margins and regularly and similarly converge to points closely adjacent the s raight chisel edge aforesald and there merging intc the driving portion or tip of the spike.

In testimony whereof lhave hereunh. affixed my signature in the presence of umsubscribing witnesses.

BEVERLY P, HEHT'JDUN.

Witnesses:

WM. Ban,

F. E. MILLER. 

